The course of the day was determined by the fact that the closing ceremony, the main event of the week, was going to take place in the afternoon.
In the morning the participants were preparing for their presentations very exitedly. They made a summary and a ppt of the previous days’ experiences and findings. They worked very hard in the morning in order to be able to make impressive presentations. After that, but before lunch, they had the chance of visiting a traditional wine cellar in the town centre of Tokaj.
After lunch the students had a short time to practice their presentations and performances. Then, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the main event started with official greetings and speeches celebrating the Junior Eco-Expert Project’s 22nd anniversary.
After the official speeches all the professional teams shared their findings and experiences with the audience. So, we heard a lot of interesting information about the Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape world heritage site: methods, means and challenges in environmental conservation in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, soil quality and its influence on wine quality, sylviculture and wild life management of the Zemplén mountain ranges and the Bodrogzug, the erosion of loess soil in the world heritage Tokaj-Hill, the region’s history and investments in tourism. The participants acquired much knowledge and first-hand experience about sustainability and took big steps to become even more responsible citizens. They had new idea show to preserve and restore our environment in Tokaj region.
After the presentations the representatives of every nation had a cultural performance to give an insight into their traditions and share them with each other and the participating school’s headmasters and their towns’ mayors invited to this magnificent event.
All the participating schools are devoted to educating open-minded and environmentally conscious young citizens. In their teaching practice, extra-curricular activities and action programmes these schools try to share the „Think Global, Act Local” approach applicably in everyday life. The participating young people have the privilege to live in a Central Europe where there are no borders any more. As the students belong to a new generation, their positive experiences may determine the future of Central Europe.
After so many years the Eco-Expert Project is not a simple partnership of four schools representing four nations but friendship of students, teachers, schools and nations. It is a great honour to have such a long-lasting and fruitful cooperation. We would like to thank everybody who – with support, assistance and work – contributed to the successful implementation of all the twenty-two International Junior Eco-Expert Project Weeks.
